The parents of Claire Martin are continuing their fight for justice in a bid to overturn the suicide verdict on her death.

They have been given new hope after meeting the Minister for Europe, Sir Alan Duncan, who is now pushing for an imminent meeting between Claire’s mum and dad Pat and Ray Martin and the magistrate who closed the case into her death.

The 31-year-old mum died of stab wounds to the throat outside the family villa of her Italian fiance in Campania, southern Italy, in March 2012.

Italian police began investigating the case as a murder, but a court delivered a suicide verdict. With multiple stab wounds to their daughter’s own neck and no history of depression, it led Mr and Mrs Martin, of Sutton-in-Ashfield, to campaign to get the decision overturned.

Ashfield MP Gloria De Piero accompanied the couple, both 61, and family liaison officers from Nottinghamshire Police to a meeting with Sir Alan and consular officials at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

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During the meeting, Sir Alan was told how the Martins have been given no explanation why the Italian authorities have ruled that Claire killed herself.

This has left them with many unanswered questions about the investigation into her death and how this conclusion was reached.

The magistrate who took the decision to uphold the suicide verdict has previously agreed to meet the family in Italy but the FCO is going to push for that meeting to be held as soon as possible so that the Martins can finally get the answers they need.

Mrs Martin, who was unable to return to her job as a nurse at Kings Mill Hospital following her daughter’s death, said: “It’s a matter of waiting to see what happens next. We have been down this road before and promised all these answers. We are just waiting to see if Sir Alan will do anything different.”

Mrs Martin said Sir Alan told her he had read about Claire and that the Italian authorities needed to be asked why they came to this conclusion “when the paperwork we are slowly but surely getting translated shows so many inaccuracies in the investigation”.

She added that she and her husband had hoped for a video conference with Italian officials, but Sir Alan would prefer for the couple to see them in person.

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“At the moment it’s in the hands of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to try to organise this meeting that the Ministry of Justice in Italy have requested, but it’s a logistical nightmare really to get everybody to be free to travel,” added Mrs Martin, whose grandson Alex – Claire’s son – lives in Italy and will be six on Friday.

The couple had meetings with previous Europe Minister David Lidington, but Mrs Martin said nothing positive came from them.

“It’s always a waiting game,” she added. “We just want answers to our questions and justice for Claire and for Alex – Alex needs to know the truth.”

Ms De Piero, who accompanied Mrs Martin and her husband, a retired E.on customer service worker, to the meeting, said: “The meeting with the minister went very well and he understands the terrible position the Martins are in. The minister promised to do all he can to help the Martins get the answers to the questions they have. It is my job to keep him to his word.

“The Foreign Office is now writing to the magistrate, asking that the meeting she promised is held as soon as possible. We all hope that this will happen quickly and be an important step in establishing the circumstances surrounding Claire’s tragic death.”